Elizabeth "Lisl" Close, (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Scheu; 4 June 1912, in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

– 29 November 2011, in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

) was an influential female

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

practicing in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. During her long partnership with her husband, Winston "Win" Close (1906-1997), she designed many notable public buildings and private homes while managing the family firm for extended periods.

Early life

Born in 1912 in Vienna, Austria, to and Helene Scheu ''née'' Riesz, Elizabeth Scheu grew up in a house designed by

Adolf Loos Adolf Franz Karl Viktor Maria Loos (; 10 December 1870 – 23 August 1933) was an Austrian and Czechoslovak architect, influential European theorist, and a polemicist of modern architecture. He was inspired by modernism and a widely-known c ...

in 1913, an early practitioner of

modern architecture Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...

. Artists were frequent guests in the home, including

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an List of poets from the United States, American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Ita ...

and

John Gunther John Gunther (August 30, 1901 – May 29, 1970) was an Americans, American journalist and writer. His success came primarily by a series of popular sociopolitical works, known as the "Inside" books (1936–1972), including the best-sell ...

. She became interested in architecture, in which she graduated at the

Technische Hochschule A ''Technische Hochschule'' (, plural: ''Technische Hochschulen'', abbreviated ''TH'') is a type of university focusing on engineering sciences in Germany. Previously, it also existed in Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands (), and Finland (, ) ...

in Vienna. Perhaps because she had a Jewish mother, she left Austria in August 1932—before the arrival of the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

—sailing aboard the SS ''American Merchant'' from London, and arrived in New York on 29 August 1932. She completed her education in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

with an M.A. in architecture at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

in 1935.

Career and marriage

While she was studying in Boston, Close met her future husband, Winston Close, who was also a graduate student. It was not easy for women to enter the architecture profession at the time; after being rejected by two firms, she accepted an appointment by the third and started work in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, working under architect

Oscar Stonorov Oscar Gregory Stonorov (December 2, 1905 – May 9, 1970) was a modernist architect and architectural writer, historian and archivist who emigrated to the United States from Germany in 1929. His first name is often spelled "Oskar". Early life Ston ...

. In 1936, she joined the firm in Minneapolis where Winston was employed, Magney and Tusler. They established their own firm, Close and Scheu Architects, in 1938, building flat-roofed, streamlined homes. Winston and Elizabeth Close married in 1938, at which time her professional status was so unusual that the local paper ran an article titled "Architect Weds Architect." Elizabeth kept her maiden name until she became pregnant in 1940, when convention required her to adopt her husband's name.Mary Abbe, "A modern woman who made modern buildings"
''StarTribune'', December 2, 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2012. Elizabeth ran the family firm while her husband was away during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and from 1950 to 1971 when he was head architect to the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. Architectural historian Jane King Hession says of Close: "By her example she inspired many women in architecture, myself included, but she didn't want to be known as a woman architect -- just as an architect who happened to be a woman." Close was known for designing buildings that have flat roofs, unpainted redwood or cedar siding, and large windows. The designed fourteen houses in the University Grove neighborhood owned by the University of Minnesota for its professors and staff, including their own home. In 2002, Close was awarded the Minnesota Gold Medal, a lifetime achievement award by the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

(AIA); this is the highest honor given to an individual by the local branch.

Death and legacy

Elizabeth Close died on 29 November 2011 at Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was a role model for a generation of women wishing to practice architecture in a male-dominated profession. In 2020, the University of Minnesota Press published the biography ''Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture.'' An accompanying exhibit was on display at the University of Minnesota until the campus was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Selected works

* 1938 – Ray Faulkner House ("The Art Today House"), plus 1940 additionMinnesota Modern Registry
Docomomo US MN, accessed December 6, 2024. – Minneapolis * 1942 – Starke R. Hathaway House – Minneapolis * 1948 –

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

& Dorothy Rood House – Minneapolis * 1950 – Harold Whiting House – Owatonna * 1951 – Harold & Marie Deutsch House – Minneapolis * 1951 – William & Patricia King House – Minneapolis * 1953 – Elizabeth and Winston Close House – University Grove * 1953 – Close Associates offices (add'n 1970) – Minneapolis * 1957 – "Thunderhead" cabin –

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40 percent of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. ...

* 1958 – Duff House (demolished) –

Woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

* 1960 – Dr. Gove & Elsie Hambidge Residence – Roseville * 1974 – Freshwater Biological Institute – Orono * 1985 – Ferguson Hall, University of Minnesota – Minneapolis

References

External links

Close Associates website

The Residential Architecture of Winston and Elizabeth Close
{{DEFAULTSORT:Close, Elizabeth 1912 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American architects American women architects Architects from Minneapolis Architects from Vienna 20th-century American women 21st-century American women Austrian emigrants to the United States